This deviation from the standard margarita may sound like a strange combination, but it’s surprisingly refreshing and delicious. Blending and straining cucumber provides a fresh juice base for the cocktail. Mix that with blanco tequila, agave nectar, lime juice, and some Yellow Chartreuse, which adds a subtle herbal flavor and sweetens the drink. Shake the mixture with a little ice and serve with a lime wedge for an impressive new take on the margarita.

Instructions

For the cucumber juice:

1Place the chopped cucumber in a blender and smash the pieces down into the pitcher. Blend on high until liquefied, about 30 seconds. (You may need to stop the blender and smash the cucumber pieces down more to get the blade spinning again.)

2Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 2-cup measuring cup and pour the liquefied cucumber through the strainer. Using a rubber spatula, press on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. (You will need 8 ounces of juice. Save any extra for another use.) Discard the solids in the strainer.

For the margaritas:

1Place 4 cocktail glasses in the freezer to chill.

2Place the cucumber juice, tequila, agave nectar, lime juice, and Chartreuse in a 1-quart container and stir to combine.

3Place 7 ounces of the margarita mixture in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice and and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Pour the contents into 1 of the chilled glasses, garnish with a lime wedge, and serve. Repeat to make 3 more margaritas.

The most popular cocktail in America is the Margarita. Making one is simple. Creating a special Margarita is just as easy. Playing off the agave in the Tequila and adding agave nectar and bumping up to a reposado or añejo Tequila, as Charlotte Voisey does here, takes the Margarita to the next level.